On Target: Week 3

As week 3 wraps up, let’s take a look at the top players of the week and what we can learn from their target shares thus far. Once again, we will go position by position to see who is hot, who is not, and what moves we can make as a result. We will begin with the running backs:

Player

Week 3 Targets

Week 3 Catches

Week 3 Yards

Alvin Kamara

20

15

124

Giovani Bernard

9

5

25

Ezekiel Elliott

8

3

11

T.J. Yeldon

7

6

46

Ty Montgomery

7

6

48

Jalen Richard

7

6

59

Devonate Booker

7

5

34

Latavius Murray

7

5

30

Todd Gurley

6

5

51

Lamar Miller

6

5

41

C.J. Ham

6

5

47

Saquon Barkley

5

5

35

Wendell Smallwood

5

3

35

Nyheim Hines

5

5

25

Javorius Allen

4

3

19

It’s hard not to first gawk at the Alvin Kamara numbers. 20 targets is ridiculous, and I’m curious to see if this maintains once Mark Ingram comes back. Personally, I don’t think it will. I still love Kamara as a weapon, but I expect some small drop off once Ingram is back demanding touches of his own. Hopefully you picked up Giovani Bernard once Joe Mixon went down. He has been heavily involved in the offense, and is a viable starting back while Mixon is still out. He is a decent runner and he was clearly involved in the passing game. I liken this to the situation in Minnesota with Latavius Murray and Dalvin Cook. As long as Cook is out, you can feel comfortable starting Murray. I should finish up with Javorius Allen. He is only 27% owned right now, but is clearly a fixture in the passing game. He saw 11 targets between weeks 2 and 3, and I expect him to be involved on a weekly basis. If anything were to happen to Alex Collins, he could become very valuable. Either way, I’d give him a roster spot right now. Moving on to wide receivers:

Player

Week 3 Targets

Week 3 Catches

Week 3 Yards

Adam Thielen

19

14

105

Jarvis Landry

15

8

103

Robert Woods

11

10

104

Mike Evans

11

6

137

Will Fuller

11

5

101

Juju Smith-Schuster

11

9

116

Randall Cobb

11

4

23

Michael Thomas

10

10

129

Chris Godwin

10

5

74

Odell Beckham Jr.

10

9

109

DeAndre Hopkins

10

6

86

Michael Crabtree

10

7

61

T.Y. Hilton

10

5

50

Taylor Gabriel

10

6

34

Antonio Callaway

10

4

20

Stefon Diggs

10

4

17

Emmanuel Sanders

9

5

38

Davante Adams

9

7

52

Antonio Brown

9

6

50

John Brown

9

5

86

Keelan Cole

9

5

40

In week 3, both of the Minnesota targets again got a healthy workload. However, only Adam Thielen made for a good start this week with his 14 catches and 105 yards. Stefon Diggs, despite 10 looks, only mustered 4 catches for 17 yards. Jarvis Landry was able to feast this week in Cleveland with 15 targets, and I like his floor with Baker Mayfield taking over now. Behind Jarvis Landry were Robert Woods, Mike Evans, and Will Fuller. With Woods, it feels like it just happened to be his week in the Rams offense. They are good at targeting the right man, and this always has the potential to make life frustrating for fantasy purposes. Still, Woods has put up two consecutive good weeks for PPR now. I was also impressed by Will Fuller. Last year, he was dependent on the big play to an unreliable extent. This season, however, his volume is way up. He has 20 targets between weeks 2 and 3, and he looks to be a constant fixture of the passing game. Moving to Pittsburgh, the Steelers managed to get away with a win, and Juju Smith-Schuster once again out-targeted Antonio Brown. I’m sure Brown is not thrilled with only 9 targets, and I’m sure he doesn’t love finishing with only 50 yards on the day. Still, both were fed and the passing attack looked healthy on the road against Tampa Bay. Most importantly, they got the win. The last stud receiver we will mention is Michael Thomas. He caught an impressive 10 of 10 targets, and has 38 catches on the season. He is also on pace to obliterate the reception record if this holds up.

Looking at some of the newer names on the list, lets start with Chris Godwin. Chris Godwin has 20 targets for 13 catches and 3 touchdowns already this season. He is more involved than I might have first guessed, and I am happy to pick him up off waivers (42% owned). Even if the Tampa Bay passing bubble shrinks, I still think he has a role. Taylor Gabriel had 10 targets this week, but it only resulted in 34 yards. This is more of a week I can ignore…at least until Mitch Trubisky figures out how to hit a receiver running deep. Antonio Callaway had 10 targets as well, and he looks to be the beneficiary of Josh Gordon leaving town. He is worth a stash if you are thin at WR, and he should find a place in the improved Cleveland passing offense (now that Tyrod Taylor is benched). Lastly, check your waivers for John Brown. He is much less owned than Michael Crabtree, but he is seeing the same volume and is the more physically gifted athlete. I’d rather have Brown, but he is about 20% less owned in leagues. Grab him now before he’s gone.

Player

Week 3 Targets

Week 3 Catches

Week 3 Yards

Eric Ebron

11

5

33

Travis Kelce

10

8

114

Zach Ertz

10

5

73

Tyler Eifert

8

6

74

O.J. Howard

8

6

72

Dallas Goedert

7

7

73

George Kittle

7

5

79

Jordan Reed

7

4

65

Geoff Swaim

7

5

47

Jimmy Graham

7

5

45

Kyle Rudolph

6

5

48

Benjamin Watson

6

5

71

Jared Cook

6

5

31

Eric Ebron led the way for tight ends in week 3 with 11 targets. He is only about 70% owned in leagues right now, and he has 20 targets through 3 weeks. You could do worse than an Andrew Luck tight end. Travis Kelce and Zach Ertz are next with 10 targets, and neither is any surprise. Kelce will be a little bit boom and bust given the loaded nature of Kansas City’s offense while I love Ertz now that Carson Wentz is back. Tyler Eifert and O.J. Howard both saw 8 targets and both turned them into 6 receptions. I am not convinced this will hold up for Eifert as he hasn’t seemed to be a fixture of the offense, but I love O.J. Howard. He looks like he has a great rapport with Ryan Fitzpatrick and I think he will keep improving in his second season. Other names worth mentioning are Dallas Goedert with 7 targets and 7 receptions. I don’t trust him week to week yet, but it was still an impressive breakout performance. Finally, there was Benjamin Watson. He has now seen 15 targets in 3 weeks in the New Orleans offense. Sure, he’s been in the league since 2004. However, he makes for a great streamer target in the right matchups. Plus, we know about the TD upside of a Drew Brees offense.